The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for an orthosis machine, and more particularly, to an orthosis machine which may be used to provide continuous passive motion (CPM) and/or other therapeutic and/or rehabilitative functionalities to a user.
It is often beneficial, following operations that involve treatment of a patient's joints, to use a continuous passive motion machine (CPM) to apply passive movement to the affected joint or joints and associated muscles, to avoid various postoperative problems that may occur if the joint is immobilized. Continuous passive motion devices (CPM's) are generally motor-driven and exercise an affected joint by repeatedly flexing and extending the limb portions on either side of the joint. Often, the CPM will support one or more limb portions as it flexes and extends the affected joint. Conventional CPM's for use on a patient's knee can be found in the literature, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,033 to Blanchard et al., which discloses a continuous passive motion device for providing physical therapy for a knee of a patient.
Conventional CPM's are largely designed for one purpose; to provide passive motion via a drive motor to move the joint through its range of motion and in order to restore or maintain range of motion when the patient is unable to adequately do so independently of their own volition, and are generally limited to passive motion in one plane only, as one phase of the rehabilitation process. However, these conventional CPM's generally lack options for progressive rehabilitation during the full range of the healing process.
In general, a rehabilitation process following hip or knee surgery includes four phases: passive range of motion, active assistive range of motion (AAROM), active range of motion (AROM), and resisted range of motion (RROM). Passive range of motion is performed with essentially little to no effort by the user; the primary forces involved are provided by the machine. Active assistive range of motion (AAROM) is generally performed when the user actively tries to move a joint through muscle contraction but is assisted by some outside force such as a machine, another person, or another part of the patient's body such as, for example, an arm. Active Range of Motion (AROM) may be performed when the user actively moves a joint through the range of motion by their own efforts through muscle contraction. Resisted range of motion/strengthening phase of motion (RROM) may be performed when the user actively moves a joint against a resistance placed against the joint during motion via some resistance device such as an elastic band or weight.
It is also useful for the patient to make use of proprioception, the body's ability to detect motion and spatial awareness, during the healing and/or therapy process. This is especially important due to proprioception often being used by the body for protection of a joint or to guide fine motor movements. Accordingly, proprioception training is important because the human body's motion detection system is employed during proprioception (i.e. the body's ability to determine motion in space and sense movement and joint position). Patients that have undergone injury or surgical intervention often have damaged proprioceptive abilities and/or have lost acuity in a joint because soft tissue and/or joint structures have been damaged.
Conventional CPMs that provide passive joint motion are generally useful only for the passive range of motion phase, and generally do not provide any option for additional rehabilitation phases including AAROM, AROM, or RROM/strengthening on multiple levels. Likewise, conventional CPM's generally do not provide proprioception training or biofeedback, or provide passive knee extension to restore full motion to a stiff knee.
Additionally, conventional CPM devices generally need to be used on a flat surface and generally require the user to be in a supine or recumbent position as is common in the art. These positions often become very uncomfortable and/or create other physical problems for patients. Accordingly, it would be useful and beneficial to provide a CPM that could operate during multiple phases of recuperation, healing, and/or therapy processes, and allow the patient to use the device while in different positions including being comfortably seated on a chair or bed.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is directed to an orthosis machine for facilitating motion of a user which may comprise a base with a track mounted thereto and a carriage slidably mounted to the track. A cradle may be adapted to hold a portion of a bodily appendage of the user and a rotational joint may be configured to connect the cradle to the carriage, wherein the rotational joint may be adjustable into a first configuration in which the cradle is firstly secured to the carriage preventing rotation of the cradle in at least one plane, and a second configuration in which the cradle may be secondly secured to the carriage allowing rotation of the cradle in more than one plane.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an orthosis machine for facilitating motion of a user which may comprise a base with a track mounted thereto and a carriage slidably mounted to the track. A cradle may be adapted to hold a portion of a bodily appendage of the user and may be detachably connectable to a drive train. The drive train may be operable by a motor such that the drive train moves the carriage along the track when the drive train is connected to the carriage and the motor is operating. At least one stop may be slidably connected to the track, at least one stop detector may be mounted to the carriage, and electronic circuitry may be configured to reverse the direction when at least one stop detector comes into proximity of at least one stop. An indicator may also be operable to alert the user when the carriage is near at least one stop.
Additionally, one aspect of the present invention is directed to an orthosis machine for facilitating motion of a user which may comprise a base and a track mounted to the base with a carriage slidably mounted to the track. A cradle may be adapted to hold a portion of a bodily appendage of the user. At least one stop may be slidably connected to the track, at least one stop detector may be mounted to the carriage and an indicator may be operable to alert the user when the carriage is near at least one stop.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an orthosis machine for facilitating motion of a user which may include a base having an upper baseplate rotatably connected to the base and a track mounted to the base. A carriage may be slidably mounted to the track and a cradle may be adapted to hold a portion of a bodily appendage of the user. A drive train may also be detachably connectable to the carriage and operable by a motor such that the drive train moves the carriage along the track when the drive train is connected to the carriage and the motor is operating.
Additionally, one aspect of the invention is directed to an orthosis machine for facilitating motion of a user comprising a base having at least one attachment portion mounted thereto and a track mounted to the base. A carriage may be slidably mounted to the track and the carriage may have at least one attachment portion mounted thereto. A cradle may be adapted to hold a portion of a bodily appendage of the user and at least one strap may be secured to at least one attachment portion.
Another aspect of the present invention includes a method of facilitating motion in a seated position on an orthosis machine. The method includes resting on an upper baseplate in a seated position, placing a lower extremity into a cradle positioned below the upper baseplate, and moving the cradle such that the lower extremity changes orientation.
These and other features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structures and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended to unduly limit the present invention. As used in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.